Knowra Statelessness Statelessness Statelessness is the condition of being recognized as a national by no state under its law. It can leave people without the rights and protections tied to nationality.
Right to a nationality : A human right to acquire, change, and retain a nationality, protected in international law. Its recognition responds to the harms that arise when no state recognizes a person as its national.
Jus soli : A nationality rule granting citizenship based on birth within a state's territory. It can prevent statelessness when a child would otherwise inherit no nationality from their parents.
Dissolution of Austria-Hungary : The breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire into successor states after World War I. New borders and nationality rules disrupted legal belonging for populations across the former empire.
Roma : An ethnic group with communities across Europe and other regions, historically subjected to discrimination and exclusion. Some Roma have faced statelessness when residence, birth, or family ties went undocumented.
Refugee : A person outside their country who meets legal criteria for international protection from persecution or serious harm. Many refugees retain a nationality, while a stateless person may or may not qualify as a refugee.
Birth registration : The official recording of a child's birth by a civil authority. Without registration, proof of birthplace and parentage can be harder to establish for nationality claims.
Jus sanguinis : A nationality rule granting citizenship through descent from a citizen parent. A child's nationality may depend on whether parentage can be proved and whether descent rules apply equally.
Partition of India : The 1947 division of British India into India and Pakistan, accompanied by mass migration and violence. Displacement and uncertain documentation complicated nationality claims for people crossing newly drawn borders.
Bidoon : Communities in several Gulf states whose members lack recognized citizenship or whose nationality claims remain unresolved. The Bidoon case shows how people can remain outside nationality systems despite longstanding residence.
Internally displaced person : A person forced to flee home who remains within their country's borders. Internal displacement concerns location and protection, not whether any state recognizes nationality.
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